Information for record number MWA4467:
Excavation of Roman Settlement at Tiddington 1982-3

Summary The site of a Roman settlement excavated in 1982/3 in advance of development. Evidence of domestic activity was found from the 1st to the mid-3rd century. The site lies to the north of the Tiddington Road.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Enclosure, Building, Pottery Kiln, Post Hole, Road, Kiln
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford upon Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 21 55
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 1982-3: Excavation in advance of redevelopment. Earliest occupation was in the form of ditches defining enclosures of various sizes, also concentrations of post holes and hearths indicating houses. The enclosures and houses had been refurbished over a long period. The earliest ditch contained an Iron Age coin and 'Belgic' pottery (MWA 5552). In the late 1st/early 2nd century roads with drainage gullies were laid out across the site. These were accompanied by rectilinear buildings of timber. One contained a small bread oven. The buildings were accompanied by wells and pits, also two small pottery kilns. The latest building was early 3rd century. After the mid-3rd century the area appears to have reverted to open space and a number of burials were made (MWA 5553). Finds included small amounts of slag and tile, also fourteen coins. There was an absence of fine ware - low-status area.
2 Noted.
3 1988: Excavation adjacent to the 1982 site revealed boundary ditches running parallel or at right angles to the Tiddington road which is of Roman origin. Most of the ditches were of 1st to mid-2nd century, the latest was of the 4th century and there were two late Roman inhumations, one of them with hobnails.
4 The enclosure in
3 above was actually of Anglo-Saxon date (MWA6398). Pottery from the late 5th to 6th centuries came from the fills of the ditches and associated postholes. This is contra the interim report as detailed analysis was not available at the time. The amount of pottery may represent settlement in the vicinity but no definite structures were seen.
5
6 The two pottery kilns are recorded under the site names Tiddington and Tiddington (New) in national gazetteers of Roman pottery kilns. The kiln revealed in 1982 was roughly circular and unlined below ground level, and above ground level of curved wedge-shaped sun-dried clay blocks. There was a central pedestal with at least eight small, prefabricated portable pillars, each with a project used against the kiln floor with formed the cigar shaped oven floor. A series of jars, beakers, tankards, lids and storage jars were recovered of 1st or early 2nd century date. The kiln revealed in 1983 is little detailed in these gazetteers.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Article in monograph
Title: Origins: the Romano-British and Anglo Saxon Settlements
Author/originator: Palmer, N.J.
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Article in monograph
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1982
Author/originator: S S Frere, MWC Hassall and R S O Tomlin
Date: 1983
Page Number: 279-356
Volume/Sheet: 14
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1988
Author/originator: S S Frere, MWC Hassall and R S O Tomlin
Date: 1989
Page Number: 257-345
Volume/Sheet: 20
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMA
Author/originator: Palmer N
Date: 1983
Page Number: 36-47
Volume/Sheet: 26
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain
Author/originator: Vivien G Swan & Andrew Peachey
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Monograph
Title: The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain
Author/originator: Vivien G Swan
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Plan of a Roman pottery kiln near Tiddington, Stratford upon Avon
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1996
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source Britannia Britannia, the journal of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies which contains articles about the archaeology of Roman Britain. It is published annually and copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Iron Age About 800 BC to 43 AD

The Iron Age comes after the Bronze Age and before the Roman period. It is a time when people developed the skills and knowledge to work and use iron, hence the name ‘Iron Age’ which is given to this period. Iron is a much tougher and more durable metal than bronze but it also requires more skill to make objects from it. People continued to use bronze during this period.
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period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument OVEN * A brick, stone or iron receptacle for baking bread or other food in. back
monument KILN * A furnace or oven for burning, baking or drying. Use specific type where known. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument INHUMATION * An interment of unburnt, articulated human remains. Use specific type where known. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument BOUNDARY DITCH * A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PEDESTAL * A concrete, cylindrical pedestal on which a spigot mortar was mounted. The pedestal is often the only evidence for a Spigot Mortar emplacement to survive. back
monument POTTERY KILN * A structure, composed of oven and hovel, used for the firing of pottery ware. back
monument HEARTH * The slab or place on which a fire is made. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument BURIAL * An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument POST HOLE * A hole dug to provide a firm base for an upright post, often with stone packing. Use broader monument type where known. back
monument DOMESTIC * This is the top term for the class. See DOMESTIC Class List for narrow terms. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record